Union Tavern - Ray Cashman, Duane Mark & Co., Tres Leches, and Grifters & Shills

Union Tavern, 435 El Dorado Blvd # A, Webster, TX 77598

A CLEAR LAKE TX dirty-roots-and-blues throwdown. Get yr asses here for one helluva party.

RAY CASHMAN: Ray Cashman is a Texas Bluesman and Roots Rock -n- Roller, an interesting person as the man fits into the American roots scene perfectly. His original compilations are a Texas Gulf coast musical gumbo of sorts. His amplified sound is solid, reminiscent of a Muddy Waters presentation and his lyrics extremely expressive. Two things you can tell about the man right out of the gate is that his heart is in his music and he’s passionate about sharing the American roots sound with folks all around the world. After all that’s how he found it, that’s how his love affair with the blues began so many years ago - it was shared with him. Today, Ray passes it along both in the States and at his performances across Europe.

DUANE MARK & CO.: "Let me tell you a story, about my time in the... Mojave Desert." You see, Duane Mark spent most of his formidable years, growing up in the deserts outside of Bakersfield, CA. Desolation is the first thing that comes to mind, when one thinks on the Mojave Desert. What does one do when growing up in such circumstances? They find a passion to immerse them self in. For Duane Mark, that passion was music. Over the years Duane Mark has become a top notch entertainer and song writer, focusing on connecting with the crowd. With a versatile writing style, his heart felt stories are delivered with a personal take on American Roots music. These elements, combined with the hard work ethic instilled by his upbringing, have this ambassador for the working class on what seems like a never ending tour to take his passion to the world! Sprinkle in a little sarcasm at a live show, with a pinch of tongue in cheek lyrics, and you have "Duane Mark, the Americana act that everybody loves to hate!"

TRES LECHES?: Self Proclaimed TRASH COUNTRY band hailing from KenaFuck (Kenefick) TX, “Somewhere in the middle of no where! Where you probably shouldn’t be. Where the air is heavy with the smell of methamphetamine and cow shit!”

GRIFTERS & SHILLS: Amplifyin' and Testifyin' for Your Soul. His was hard rock and heavy metal. Hers was the classic sound of the East Texas piney woods. Theirs was a fiery collision, bearing forth a sound that was at once novel and instantly familiar--high lonesome harmonies with a rock and roll soul.

Behind Grifters & Shills is John and Rebecca Stoll, native Texans who met in a classic rock/blues jam band in 2008. Between them they discovered a magnetic chemistry that manifested not only in music, but in all aspects of their relationship. When they began playing as a two-piece band, they found a unique voice in the combination of Rebecca's East Texas vocal stylings and John's formidable guitar work. They immediately began writing their own songs, while testing the waters of vocal harmonies and adding an array of instrumentation to their arsenal. A typical show will feature a delightful range of electric instruments, including John's archtop guitar, Rebecca's bass, a homemade suitcase drum, a couple of cigar box guitars, a handful of harmonicas, and an occasional kazoo.

They call it high lonesome heavy metal, and together, this two-person, dozen-instrument act provides a show full of sound a fury, punctuated with raw, quiet vulnerability, forging new trails and shining new light on familiar ground.